🧽 Applying wax 📈 Gradual increase 🌔 Moon growing

waxing

4.6

When the moon's visible part is getting larger

adjective
/ˈwæksɪŋ/

: creciente

During the waxing phase of the moon, its visible surface grows after the new moon.

Examples

Each night, the waxing moon appears fuller until it reaches its peak at the full moon.
The sun sank over the far mountain, the stars shone, the moon waxed and waned.
As the month progresses, the moon will be waxing, becoming brighter and larger in the night sky.

Antonyms

waning

6.2

The moon's lit part becomes smaller each night

How Illuminated

full moon

116 1.2

waxing

4.6

first quarter

Specialized

20 3.2

new moon

9 2.8

Surface Forms

waxing positive

Morphology

waxing = wax (semi-transparent) = wax + ing

Morphologically clear (verb + -ing) but the verb sense 'to increase' is less frequent and may be unfamiliar to learners who know 'wax' only as the substance or as 'apply wax'.

Etymology

Waxing for the moon comes from the old verb wax meaning 'to grow'. So, a waxing moon is the moon that is getting bigger each night.